Month: October 2015

Although their political parties are never stated, Bill Russell and Joe Cantwell go at it worse than Democrats and Republicans in Gore Vidal’s play, “The Best Man.” Coronado’s production of this acclaimed play was nicely executed and well put together by the cast and crew. From the accuracy of the costumes, the style of the set, and the portrayal of the characters themselves, Coronado truly did accomplish setting the excitement and vibe of nomination time in the 60’s.

Any good show will always take the time and effort to really translate the time period to their costuming (with as much accuracy as possible), and in this production they did exactly that. They made excellent use of simple items like plain black evening dress and paired it with a collared shirt underneath to create a vintage and accurate 60’s reporter look. Coronado didn’t miss a single beat when it came to the small details, every single side character and reporter was done up in the best way possible and yet not overly dressed to the point of distraction when they appeared on stage.

The time frame that The Best Man was set in was easily seen in their set design. Although it was a bit more on the simplistic side, consisting of a wall with two windows and a door frame and furniture, it successfully projected the feel of the 60’s. The design team really made some great choices regarding small details that really contributed to the overall style of the set. The patterns of the drapes, the prop telephones, and even the furniture were all accurate pieces that anyone would believe were straight out of that era.

Mabel Cantwell’s southern twang, Art Hockstader’s overall voice, to the constant loud scrum of all the reporters outside of the hotel suite door-all of these aid in embellishing the production. These characters and their attributes really do come together well. Many small actions and character choices they made remained consistent throughout the whole show giving their stage character their own persona to make it that much more real and not just lead the production with flat characters from a page out of the script.

I truly do think Coronado did do this play justice by their performance. The costume choices were on point for the entire cast. The set design and details were straight out of a Four Seasons in the 1960’s. The characters were definitely alive and quirky through the entirety of the play. The obvious care that was put during the making of this play was worth it and extremely apparent in Friday’s show.

by Isis Valadez of El Dorado

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It’s off into the competitive and comical world of politics as we dive into the nitty gritty business behind Coronado High School’s laugh-out-loud comedy, Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man.”

This play is about two very determined, yet completely different, politicians who are racing for the position of the President of the United States of America. These two eager men, Bill Russell (Derek Brown) and Joe Cantwell (Fernie Romero), will stop at nothing to gain the upper hand with assistance from their colleagues, Dick Jensen (David Ortega) and Don Blades (Andre Morales).

After arriving at the hotel from an overwhelming bombardment of reporters, Bill Russell is then questioned by his trusty man, Dick, who has some issues about his tactics on running for president. It is also then revealed shortly after, that the flame between Russell and his lovely wife, Alice (Sydney Pine), has gone out, and from what it seems like, has been for quite some time. A similar occurrence appears in the next scene with the Cantwells, but things really start to heat up when the current president, Art Hockstader (Dominic Long), comes into play with a possible alliance. Thus, increasing the chance of obtaining the winning ballot and increasing the tensions between Russell and Cantwell.

As a whole, the show in its entirety was pleasing in both technical and artistic aspects. The setting of the show took place in the Russell/Cantwell residences, and were very fitting for the sixties time period that the crew members were shooting for. Everything blended in well. I loved the use of the chandelier; it definitely brought an elegant and somewhat presidential feeling to the overall look of the residence(s).

There were tons of moments in this wonderful comedy in which I had to restrain myself from laughing too much, because the joke had already passed a while ago, but by the time I had finally gotten over it, another joke would pull me into another fit of laughter.

Bill Russell (Derek Brown) is a very eccentric and honest politician, and his facial expressions are definitely what sold his performance as a quirky, awkward fellow. He is accompanied by his wife, Alice Russell (Sydney Pine), who portrays a lovely, picture-perfect woman, ready to take on the media. She definitely maintained her composure as well as her delicate lady-like voice, which was always a pleasure to hear whenever she took the stage.

Joe Cantwell (Fernie Romero), portrayed a strong, silent type of man, which was very fun to watch when he raised his voice to get his point across. Although there were some moments when there seemed like there was no personality in Mr. Cantwell’s character, it was definitely evened out with the loud, outspoken voice of his Southern belle, Mabel Cantwell (Ashley Martinez). She was a lovely character to watch, and it was pleasing to hear that she never lost her accent throughout the entire show.

Art Hockstader (Dominic Long), was an outstanding character in his portrayal of the ideal American President. His amazing voice never faltered. His jokes were a huge contribution in keeping the energy of the play alive. The pain in his side was not always there in his physical stature, but it was shockingly captivating to see his final scene in which he is seen struggling to get a hold of his medication, because he was, in my opinion, fully invested in that particular scene.

As most people know, the technical aspect of a play is not always easy. I enjoyed the perfect timing of the television, as well as the telephone rings. What I had noticed is that there were a few small bits in where some parts of the stage were not lit as well as others, and from time to time, the actors would stumble into bad lighting. Although it was a bit distracting, the actors pulled through and managed to still capture my attention with the deliverance of their lines.

In conclusion, I truly enjoyed this play. It definitely opened my eyes to the world of politics that that most people don’t see, and ultimately shows that politicians are people too.

To never grow up and to have an adventurous life with a youthful charm is what most adults and children alike fantasize about. We all know of Neverland and of the iconic lost boy, Peter Pan, and the infamous Captain Hook, but did you know how the story started?

Socorro High School’s production of “The Lost Boy,” takes us back to the late 1800s in Scotland when the writer of Peter Pan, James M. Barrie, had a most painful childhood and a dissatisfying life. In his youth, he witnessed his older brother Davey, who protected him from many children who bullied him, drown in a frozen lake. This was followed by his mother’s resentment towards James and that “the wrong son died.” Fast forward to James as a successful young playwright in London who returns home to visit his mother. As his memories flood back to him and he befriends a housewife, Maureen O’Rourke, the birth of Peter Pan begins; having his deceased brother Davey take the role of Peter.
In this very emotional performance, the overall energy of the cast made the show flow perfectly and swiftly. From the portrayal of a character to the many light cues, the actors had the audience mesmerized as they learned the slightly fictional background of the classical childhood favorite. The performance was anchored by the playful and rather sassy ensemble of fairies, giving the play a spark of mystery.

Raul Olivas, who portrayed James M. Barrie, gave an outstanding performance as he captured the fine sentiment of a young man struggling with his past demons. Olivas also did a great job at connecting with the audience during his monologues, making you feel like he was talking directly to you. Amongst great lead actors, was a brilliant actress by the name of Sierra Galvan who played Maureen O’Rourke. She did an excellent job at maintaining a calm and innocent charisma with the sudden excited outbursts of the character, not to mention keeping the difficult Irish accent throughout the entire play.

With the many wonderful talents of the lead actors comes the wonderful talents of the supporting actors as well. Jessica Fernandez gave a breathtaking performance in the role of Margaret Barrie. She gave the audience chills when they heard her grieving screams near the grave of her son and perfectly kept her strong Scottish accent. She developed beautifully as a character going from a bitter and grieving mother to a kind and proud one. Carlos Beruman was absolutely perfect for the role of Peter Pan as well as Davey Barrie. With his awkward and childish hand and body gestures, he fit the role and persona of forever staying young as Peter Pan and yet was fantastic at playing the role of older brother Davey. The transition between the two characters was sensational. With Peter Pan, there must be a Tinker Bell and actress Victoria Rosales was brilliant for the part. She portrayed the iconic character well with the perfect amount of sass. She seemed to light up the theater and leave a memorable presence on stage.

With a production of a show, there is the hard task of the technical crew to get things done. The Socorro High School’s tech crew executed all of the aspects of their jobs well. The lighting transitions were subtle and fitting of the scene and the spotlights were barely noticed and yet brought attention to the actors on stage. Though there was little sound, the cues were spot on. The set of the play was well put together and very creative, seeming to coexist with the main character’s feelings. The main character’s feeling of an incomplete life was well portrayed by the incomplete presentation of the set.

From the lively Fairies and tough Pirates, to the dynamic duo of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, the production of the play was excellent and left the audience in awe. The actors, as well as the stage crew, worked great together in bringing the audience into the emotions of the play. The Socorro High School’s theater group successfully brought entertainment to an audience of all ages in their production of The Lost Boy.

Reviewed by Aubrey Herrarte of Americas High School

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From stunning background lights, to shockingly good acting, to unbelievable sounds, this show is on the top of my list of breathtaking theatrical performances. The Lost Boy tells the magnificent story of how the author of the story came to write Peter Pan. His older brother, Davey, died in an accident and the author felt and was told it was his fault. So, he wrote about Peter Pan, the story of a lost boy who is looking for adventure and longs for his mother. The Socorro High School, of Socorro ISD, performance of The Lost Boy was overall astounding.

The acting was well done and the characters did a really good job portraying the characters. Jessica Fernandez, playing Margaret Barrie, revealed the emotions of a hurt mother like I have never seen performed by any other high school student. Raul Olivas, cast as James M. Barrie, did a sensational job pouring himself into his character. Along with that performance, Carlos Beruman, playing Davey Barrie and Peter Pan, was pleasurable to watch. His whole performance was tip-top,and you can tell he put a lot of effort into rehearsing his part. I applaud all the actors, because they all did an outstanding job acting.

I give the tech crew props for the hard work they put into making the show as colorful and alive as it was the night of September 26th. Most cues seemed to be on point, and when they weren’t, they were seamlessly corrected. I really like the Peter Pan projection, done by Juan Mata. I enjoyed how it would project Peter Pan every time the story was being told.

For sound, I thought it was well done. Every time James M. Barrie was narrating the story of Peter Pan, a little noise in the background came to indicate the narrating, and I would like to congratulate Zenia for not missing any of those cues at all. I also really enjoyed the scene where Peter was paying the flute; I think the sound was on point in that event.

I would also to congratulate the painters on the set, Kimberlyn Rybak, Alexandria Fierro, and Desiree Frayre, because it looked very impressive. I like the use of different levels to indicate characters flying, which was a very nice idea for set. I would also like to say that Ruben Villa and Carrie Martinez did a perfect job with all the props. I really enjoyed the idea of using the umbrellas and red eyes for the crocodile.

In conclusion, I think the play was pleasant to watch. I enjoyed the acting, the lighting, the tech, the sound, and props enormously. It was delightful to witness the splendid and originality of it all.

Cappies

The El Paso Cappies Blog is here to provide information about high school theater in El Paso. We will be providing reviews of shows past and previews of shows to come. Most of our content will be student generated.